Dolce Gusto Coffee Machines and Capsules Cost and Pricing
Dolce Gusto Coffee Machines are one of the newest capsule coffee machines on the block in South Africa and they have garnered quite a response. It might be their space age good looks or the fact that South Africans can now enjoy iced coffee in the comfort of their home that has brought about this frenzy. Whatever it might be, we look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the Dolce Gusto.
Dolce Gusto Overview and Machine Options:
Nestle is one of the biggest and most diversified food companies in the world. The Dulce Gusto system is their second Capsule Machine system, adding to their Nespresso coffee system. Dolce Gusto differs to Nespresso in two ways:
- Beverage Variety -The Dolce Gusto machines are more beverage systems than espresso or coffee systems. Whereas Nespresso promotes the perfect espresso, Dolce Gusto promotes the fact that there is more to coffee than just black coffee. To date, the Dolce Gusto system features Milo, Cafe Latte, Hot Chocolate, Iced Coffee and a range of coffees.
- Availability – Dolce Gusto tries to make their capsules as readily available as possible whereas Nespresso capsules are only available from Nespresso’s boutique or through online ordering. Dolce Gusto capsules are available from a number of coffee companies as well as in supermarkets like Pick n Pay, Dion Wired and Hirschs. To get a more detailed comparison of Nespresso vs Dolce Gusto please read our article Dolce Gusto vs. Nespresso.
Capsules Availability and Drink Varieties:
In being true to their tagline “Coffee is not just black” there are a variety of different hot and beverages available for use in any of the Dolce Gusto systems.All Dolce Gusto machines and capsules are available from select coffee companies, Makro, Pick n Pay, Dion Wired, Hirschs and Takealot.com. At this stage only Takealot.com offers online purchasing of the capsules.
The whole range is made up of the following:
- Espresso
- Americano
- Vanilla Latte
- Hazelnut Latte
- Cappuccino
- Cafe Latte
- Milo
- Chocacino
- Ice Cappuccino
- Tea Latte
Dolce Gusto Coffee Machine and Capsules Price
There are two models currently available in South Africa; The Genio (MiniMe) and the Circolo. Because each company has their own pricing we have listed the average pricing of both machines at the time of publishing this post.
Genio (MiniMe) Price – R1200 Incl. VAT
Circolo Price – R1999 Incl VAT
Capsules are packaged in packs of 16 and cost R79 on average. This makes the cost per cup R4.93 per capsule. Some of the capsules like cappuccino require two capsules to be sued (the coffee and the milk) which effectively doubles the cost of the cup of coffee to R9.87.
My Two Cents
Like with most coffee machines, the Dolce Gusto system has pros and cons. It can be the perfect choice of machine in some environments whereas in other environments it can be totally the wrong fit.
Dolce Gusto for Homes
Dolce Gusto is a great option for homes as it gives the user almost unparalleled varieties in one of the simplest ways possible. Who wouldn’t want Hot Chocolate and Caffe Latte on tap in the winters and Iced coffee available in the hot summer months. The availability of the capsules makes it a great choice for anyone in South Africa no matter where you are located and the low cost of the machines make it an affordable solution for most.
Dolce Gusto for Offices
Capsules in general are usually one of the more expensive routes to go when volumes are high. A small office consuming 10 capsules per day can expect to rack up a bill of around R1000 per month which is pretty steep. In general if your usage is likely to exceed 10 cups of coffee per day then a bean to cup machine is often a cheaper bet in the long run but for small offices of 2-3 people the Dolce Gusto could be a great fit.
Because coffee is a very personal thing we recommend trying a machines (whichever machine it might be) before committing, so see if you can test a Dolce Gusto out before buying one to make sure you like the Cuppa Joe that will be your morning companion for many years to come.
To try out a machine to make sure that you enjoy it, please complete your details below:
All Prices were gathered from a number of sources at the time of posting and does not represent any one companies price list.
Note that Aquaspresso and all affiliates thereof are in no way associated with or stockists of Nescafe, Nestle or Nespresso Products. The views expressed in this article are not those of the company or publisher.
